Hurricane Earl battered tiny islands across the north-eastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds as it rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm and threatening the US.

A still-growing hurricane lashed a large area of the Caribbean today, wrecking homes and sending tourists rushing for shelter.

SHARES in US-based M&T Bank Corp – 22.64% owned by AIB – are set to jump, accordingto the latest edition of Barron’s.

HURRICANE ISABEL screamed ashore in North Carolina yesterday as furious winds and torrential rains forced evacuations throughout the US mid-Atlantic region, the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights and shut down the federal government in Washington.